


The Edge of Hope

by ailithpenninor



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo - Freeform, Canon who?, F/F, F/M, Finnpoe - Freeform, M/M, Poe Dameron - Freeform, Rey - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, ben organa solo deserved better, canon non-compliant, finn - Freeform, i am the god of my own universe and i do what i want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22390873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ailithpenninor/pseuds/ailithpenninor
Summary: After the battle at Exegol is won, the Resistance must begin the hard work of restoring peace and balance to the galaxy. Meanwhile, Rey feels a change in the Force that compels her to seek answers in unlikely places.An alternate ending to the travesty that was TRoS that tries to address as many of the major failings of the movie as adequately as possible over the course of a short fic.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. The Absence

“Ben…” she whispered softly, exhaling her first breath as her eyes roamed his face, filled with wonder and joy. She could feel him, as he truly was, his hands on her neck and waist, his hair and the soft skin of his face beneath her hands, and his energy surrounding her and moving through her. His eyes softened, tears pooling in them as he smiled hesitantly. Overcome, Rey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his and Ben responded almost immediately, pulling her closer and kissing her back with abandon.

Pulling away, she gently ran her thumb over his cheek and for the first time in years, he felt calm and safe and… something else, something new… His face cracked into a grin as an immense pressure released in his chest, it was joy he felt, real and true as it flooded his aching body. When he looked at Rey, the whole world disappeared around her in a vignette. The light of her soul was brilliant and blinding and for the first time, Ben Solo was not afraid to stare straight into it and let her warmth wash over him. As the darkness at the edge of his vision deepened and brought her further into focus, he ran his eyes over her confused face, desperately memorising every detail he could. 

Moments later he collapsed forward, his head coming to rest in the crook of her shoulder. She clung to him as best she could but his physical form dissipated and Rey was left clutching air as sobs racked her body.

“Ben” she whispered once more.

* * *

Sounds of celebration and cooling engines filled the air as the Resistance fleet landed among the jungles of Ajan Kloss. General Poe Dameron leapt from his X-Wing and bounded toward the Millenium Falcon, his heart racing. 

“Finn!” he cried, catching sight of his Co-General and wrapping him in a tight embrace. Tears sprung to his eyes as he felt Finn’s gleeful laughter - it was truly over, the Resistance had won! Suddenly Finn pulled away, catching sight of Rey’s ship landing in the distance, he grabbed Poe’s hand and raced toward her. She alighted clumsily and landed on her knees, her red eyes betrayed grief but her face lit up upon seeing her two best friends. Wordlessly Rey collapsed forward into Finn and Poe’s arms, all three of them shaking with sobs and laughter. 

Laughter and tears were mingling all throughout the jubilant Resistance base as more of the fleet landed and joined in the celebrations. The festivities carried on for well over a week, and spread far and wide as the galaxy celebrated the total defeat of the First Order and the final blow dealt to Sheev Palpatine. However not everyone was in a celebratory mood, it was painfully clear to the Generals and senior members of the Resistance’s leadership that First Order loyalists and sympathisers throughout the galaxy were yet to be dealt with. Not only that, the remnants of the New Republic had to be  reassembled  to restore peace and order where necessary. The galaxy simply couldn’t risk another tyrannical organisation rising from the ashes of the First Order and the earlier they quelled the embers the better. 

Generals Finn and Poe began to devise a plan to send squadrons to the Outer Reaches to hunt down any remaining First Order loyalists, while also dispatching a contingent of senior Resistance members to the remaining Free Worlds to garner their support for reformation of the New Republic. Rey sat in on most of these councils meetings but it was clear that her head was not in them, her eyes carried a haunted, distracted look and her face seemed paler than usual. At one of the meetings, someone suggested that it might be helpful to send Rey with the delegation to the Free Worlds to win their confidence by introducing them to the face of the new Jedi Order.

It was only then that she spoke up, “The legacy of the Jedi was tainted when Luke Skywalker sat out the war and allowed the formation of the First Order. Seeing that we have returned will not restore their hope but further their distrust of the delegation. The Jedi are not a political body, we will not be involved in the reformation of the New Republic.” With that, she left the meeting. 

Poe was about to object when Finn laid a cautionary hand on his arm and followed her out. He found her seated in a meditative posture beneath the Falcon, the pale blue lights highlighting the gauntness in her face and the shadows beneath her eyes. 

“Rey”, Finn ventured, her eyes opened and came to rest on him, a blank expression on her face, “Do you remember the Sinking Fields of Pasaana?” 

“How can I forget?” she chuckled and after a breath asked, “What did you want to tell me anyway?”

“I think I might be Force Sensitive. No, I’m quite certain I’m Force Sensitive. I can feel it, or at least I can feel something. It’s everywhere and somehow nowhere at the same time. I can feel it in us and all around us but lately…” he trailed off looking at her hesitantly. 

Rey nodded, “Lately something has been different.” 

“Yes”, he continued, “The galaxy is in flux, there’s too much work to be done and too much at stake if we fail. The war is over but if we stop fighting to restore peace where the fires of war raged, we stand to lose everything we fought for. We’ve sacrificed too many good people to this fight not to see it through to the end.”

Rey let out a choked sob, her shoulders sagging beneath some unseen weight. 

“I know you can’t tell me what happened beneath Exegol but, something has changed. With the First Order, the Final Order? Whatever, with it gone, I expected to feel a sense of balance and peace but instead, there’s a shift. It’s not like there’s something stirring within the Force but like something is missing. Like I’ve lost something but I can’t remember what.” 

Rey nodded, tears falling from her eyes. Rolling forward onto her knees she wrapped her arms around Finn and sobbed gently in his shoulders. 

“You’re going to need training. I’m certain General Dameron will not be happy with me stealing you away” she said pulling away and rising to her feet. Finn chuckled and jumped up after her, blood rising in his cheeks, 

“We could start right away but the change in the Force has weakened me. I meant what I said about the Jedi remaining politically neutral but, I really do want to help you restore peace. I just don’t know if I have the strength to do it right now.” 

“I understand, I’ll talk to Poe. As for my training, maybe we can just start with some meditation, being a General is more stressful than I anticipated and maybe the Force can give me some patience in dealing with my Co-General’s hot headed tactics and flagrant disregard for diplomacy.” he said draping his arm around her shoulders as they returned to the Council chambers. 

* * *

Poe was awakened early the next morning by BB8’s loud, excited chirping, “Training? Who’s training? Wha-? BB8, it’s too early for this, go away!” he grumbled swatting at the excitable droid as it rolled around the tent continuing to chirp, “Finn’s training? Ugh, what…”

He rolled over, eyes still closed and shook Finn, “You’re training? For what?” he mumbled half into the pillow. Finn came awake suddenly, “Oh just some meditation with Rey”, he said vaguely, patting Poe on the head, “You can go back to sleep.”

“Does this have something to do with the Force disappearing?”

“The Force hasn’t disappeared, it’s just different. There’s something different and I want to help her figure out what it is.” Finn said, pulling a on tunic and his brown flight jacket. Noticing that Poe was already drifting back to sleep he pressed a soft kiss to his forehead saying, “Don’t worry your pretty head over it, get your beauty sleep. I’ll see you at breakfast”, and left the tent to seek Rey out in the hills above the Resistance base. 

Day had just begun breaking low in the Southern skies and pale morning sunlight streamed through the thick mist. The slowly waking world seemed at peace as Finn hiked along the narrow trail Rey had asked him to follow and yet, he still felt the absence. He finally made it to the clearing at the head of the trail where the mist appeared almost like a swirling cream soup rising to his waist. 

Finn felt a twist of nervousness in his stomach as looked around the eerie jungle when suddenly an affected voice sounded out, giving him a start, “Welcome youngling. Be seated on the stump of the ancient tree before you and let us begin your training in the ways of the Force.” 

Rey emerged from the swirling mist, a cheeky smile on her face as she floated above him. 

“Hilarious. No, really” he deadpanned as he took off his jacket and sat cross legged on the tree stump that emerged from the swiftly disappearing mist, “What now?” 

“Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Try to let your mind go blank and search out that feeling in your heart,” she said more seriously, “I can’t describe it to you exactly, it’s different for each of us but you will know it when you feel it.” 

Finn knew what he was seeking, he called it an instinct, a feeling that came from deep within his conscience. Breathing in deeply, he relaxed his brow and searched his mind, letting his thoughts fall away. He didn’t know how long it was before he felt it, maybe a few minutes or it could have been hours but all of a sudden, it was there. A heightened sense of awareness filled him, awareness of himself and everything around him - the jungle, the creatures high in the trees, the insects deep in the earth, the hum of life from the base in the valley and even Rey. 

“I can feel you,” she said, “That’s excellent. The Force is strong with you.” 

For the next two weeks, they met every morning and trained together. She walked him through some basic techniques at first like, reaching out with his mind and feeling the things around them - the trees or insects, sometimes even the small creatures high in the trees. Finn also worked with her staff and the training droid, trying to strike it while blindfolded but he didn’t have as much success as he would have liked though he enjoyed it nonetheless. Being able to hone his abilities filled him with a sense of excitement and provided a much needed outlet for the stress of restoring peace to the galaxy. For a time it seemed that Rey was getting better too, some colour seemed to return to her face, her eyes looked less dull and her cheerful temperament began to return but when he reached out to her through the Force he found a wall.

However, their training was cut short when Finn had to leave with the delegation to the Free Worlds. He implored Rey to join him but she insisted on remaining on Ajan Kloss. The night before the delegation was set to leave, Rey sought Finn out aboard the Falcon with Poe, frantically trying to beat Chewie at Dejarik and growing increasingly frustrated as they failed. 

“Do you mind if I borrow Finn for a bit?” she asked as Poe reset the board for another futile go at the game. 

“Everything okay?” he asked. 

“Oh yeah, I was thinking we could have one last parting lesson before he leaves.”

“I thought we had our last lesson this morning,” Finn began as they started up the trail to the clearing, “Something on your mind?” 

“I want to try something,” she responded, “The absence in the Force feels like it has diminished since we began training together but in reality, it has merely shifted form. It’s more physical now, somewhere out there, the absence is real.” 

She hesitated and exhaled a shaking breath, “I want to seek it out, but I’m not sure what lies there and I don’t want to do it alone.” 

“Alright, makes sense. I mean, I didn’t know an absence could manifest physically but, if you can feel it then I want to find out what’s causing it too,” he said calmly, “Let’s do this.” 

They sat opposite each other on the floor of the jungle and began their meditation. Finn reached out and found Rey, only now, her wall seemed to be gone and he felt the absence as she did. It took almost all his effort not to pull away, what had been a minor gap in the continuum to him was like an open wound to her, a gaping void that ached through him and stretched ad infinitum. Slowly she began to explore the absence, pushing her mind beyond the stars as the ground beneath them trembled with the effort, the trees around the clearing swayed, rustling and groaning as they did. 

Beads of perspiration broke out on Finn’s forehead as flashes of Rey’s memories filled his mind - striking pain, emptiness, fear, the caverns beneath Exegol, looming grey statues, Palpatine’s laugh rang through his ears and warm hazel eyes stared deeply into his own as pain engulfed the world. Gasping, Finn opened his eyes and landed heavily on the ground from a considerable height. Rey remained where she was, her forehead wrinkled in deep concentration as the ground trembled more furiously and the trees shook without wind.

“Rey!” he cried out, “Rey! Stop! It’s not safe!”

Suddenly, lightning crackled through the air and Rey collapsed in a heap on the jungle floor. 


	2. The Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey returns to Tattooine on a quest seeking the root of the absence she feels in the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya girl throws some shade at certain... creative decisions made in canon.

“Go back to the beginning, Rey,” a voice sounded through the silence, “The answers you seek lie in the past.” 

“Anakin!” she gasped. 

She awoke in a dimly lit room to the soft, high pitched whir of medbay motors pumping healing fluid through the cool plastic covering that encased her body. The room lay in darkness save for the pale blue glow of the med unit monitors, panic flooded her mind as her last memories came back to her - she had summoned the lightning and endangered Finn. 

“There’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time,” Maz Kanata rose from a small desk in the far corner of the room and consulted the panel on the side of the medbay, “Good to see you again, child. You’ve been out for a few days, stop struggling, the medbay is locked to hold you in. You nearly broke the first one you were placed in so we had to use restraints.” 

As the plastic slithered away into the walls of the medbay, Rey raised herself up slowly and sat upright. Her head felt heavy but her body felt renewed, her skin shone with an almost artificial shine. She scanned the dimly lit hub that served as the base’s med unit, through the glass panels she could see the distant lights of the Resistance base, “I’m still on Ajan Kloss,” she mumbled, confusion clouding her mind, “A few days? I missed Finn’s departure… Oh Finn, is he alright?”

Maz nodded as she handed Rey a clean tunic and trousers, “He’s fine although you gave him quite a fright, him and everyone else.”

“I’m sorry,” she said dressing herself, “I haven’t been myself since Exegol, when we were meditating, I thought I felt something and rushed into it. I shouldn’t have done that, I put too much at risk.” She caught a glimpse of herself in panels of the medical unit and was shocked at the change in her physique, her toned muscles and healthy cheeks had waned to gaunt ghosts of themselves, her skin was pale and her hair hung limp around her shoulders. 

“Absolutely not!” Maz said, grabbing her elbow and pushing her toward a bubbling hot plate at the desk, “You did the right thing. Galactic war is not the only thing that can affect the balance in the Force. You are part of something far bigger than you understand Rey, a powerful bond established through the Force. When Ben left, a part of you did too - a dyad cannot sustain unbalanced. You must restore the balance or you will continue to waste away.” 

“Wha-? How do you know… Wait. How do I do that?” she said between spoonfuls of the hot broth Maz had placed before her. 

“Well, you’ve been poring over Luke’s research and meditating for weeks now. What have you found?” 

Rey paused for a moment, thinking back to what she had heard just before she awoke, “Which planet are the Skywalkers from?” she asked suddenly. 

“The Skywalkers?” Maz’s magnified eyes glazed over for a moment as she considered the question, “Tatooine, in the Outer Rim.” 

“I think I might find answers there, where it all began…” she trailed off, “Maz, were you with Leia when… when Ben…”

Maz removed her goggles and nodded, her shoulders sinking slightly, “Ben Solo lived only for a short time but his desire to do the right thing burned brighter than any star in the galaxy. Leia saw that, she gave everything to ensure her son would come home and she succeeded.” 

Rey looked up from her empty bowl, “I can still feel him, his absence. He’s not gone, I just have to find him” she said, biting her lower lip. 

“Trust your feelings Rey, follow them and you will never go wrong.” 

* * *

“Are you sure you should be doing this on your own?” Rose asked as she examined Rey’s X-wing, “It’s only been a few days since you left the medical unit and Tatooine is a long way from here.”

“There’s only one thing I’m sure of - this thing is a wreck, there’s no way I’m getting to Tatooine in this”, Rey remarked, hands on her hips as she observed the extent of damage to the engines. 

“How did you get to Exegol in it anyway? The water damage alone should have ruined the circuits.” Rose said as she leapt down beside Rey. 

“Um… Force Ghost… magic…?” Rey ventured, “I don’t know. I need a ship, where’s Chewie?” 

They found Chewie in the Command Unit, working with a Resistance captain to chart a course through a hostile system. He was less than enthusiastic about returning to Tattooine but was persuaded, with much effort, to allow Rose and Rey free use of the Falcon for the trip so long as R2 accompanied them.

“How did you know to come here? This is miles from Bestine or any other major port,” Rose remarked as they brought the Falcon down in a wide arc to rest on a dune beside a ruined moisture farm on Tattoine. 

“Just a feeling”, replied Rey, surveying the vast desert as it stretched out before them. So much like home, she thought bitterly. The smell of heated rock filled their nostrils and coarse sand brushed their exposed arms as they alighted from the Falcon and made their way over to the sunken ruins. Rey pushed her hood back and turned to face the twin suns as they rose over the distant horizon, casting a harsh orange glow over the hazy desert. As the whine of the cooling jets subsided, a rhythmic clanking seemed to be coming closer. 

An old woman rounded the grounded Falcon, a pack animal laden with worn soot-covered metal in tow. Rey smiled and raised her hand in greeting. 

“There’s been nobody here for so long, the farm fell to ruin. Who are you, girl?” the woman asked, her desert weathered face crinkled in apprehension. 

“I’m Rey” 

“Rey, who?”

Rey pondered for a moment, she had a family name now, a name that told of war and cruelty, a name hated in all the galaxy. She thought of where she stood, the planet of the Skywalkers - her masters in the Force. But she knew the pain this planet held for them, she could feel it all around her, this was not their home. 

“I’m Rey, just… Rey'', she said, a smile growing on her face. It felt right, she didn’t belong to anyone, any planet or any family.

The old woman smiled up at her, the furrows in her face growing deeper. The shimmering heat of the suns rose between them, making her face appear like a shifting mirage. Brown eyes turned blue, one half of the face sunk in on itself and a claw-like hand reached for her as the twisted mouth roared, in a voice intoned with bitter hatred, “Solo!” 

Fear froze her muscles in place as Rey pitched forward, falling on her fours to the rough-hewn rock. She was distantly aware of Rose’s hands on her shoulders, trying to raise her up but her senses had turned elsewhere, lightyears away from the desert to a still pool of water in a dark cave. Echoes of the past roared like an angry ocean, each wave swallowing the other as her face rose up in the mirror-like surface of the pool. 

“Mom! Dad! Look what I can do!” 

Her reflection was displaced when a gentle ripple shook the surface and as it stilled a woman stared back at her, hair pulled back from a beautiful but desert weathered face. She had a kind smile that never reached her lonely, haunted eyes as they filled with tears. 

“Voe!” 

A second ripple. Another face floated up to the surface, framed by tumbling brown curls. A regal, beautiful face smiling joyfully up at Rey. But her smile only lasted an instant and her beauty was twisted by sadness, her eyes filled with tears as she pleaded desperately with someone unseen. 

“Show me Grandfather, and I will finish what you started.” 

A third ripple. A new face, so much like the previous one but with a stubborn set of the brow. Rey knew this person, she was younger here but the same unique combination of regal beauty and steely strength prevailed. Her face aged in the pool, her gentle smile fading to a pained, broken sadness. 

“Please.”

A fourth ripple. Rey’s own face stared up at her again, eyes filled with tears, brow furrowed in grief. 

“Dad-” 

The roaring stopped as suddenly as it had began and the cave fell silent as a tomb. A pale blue light floated up from deep beneath the inky blackness of the pool, swirling like a freshly calmed ocean until it blotted out the darkness. Air-filled her lungs as she opened her eyes to the bright blue skies of Tattooine, a single voice echoed in her ears, “Be with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter feels slightly rushed that's because it kind of is, I don't want to put too many retcons or fixes or cram a lot of character journeys into this fic because I'm working on two larger projects. Drumroll please... A complete TRoS rewrite and a trope-filled post-TRoS Reylo adventure. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, see ya in the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> TRoS was terrible so, I decided to deny reality and write fanfiction instead. Please excuse any structural or dialogue related issues, this is my first multi-chapter fic so, any and all feedback is welcome. Thank you for reading, see ya in the next one.


End file.
